Cyprus army runaways find loophole in law

Socialist Edek party leader and House Defence Committee Chairman Yiannakis Omirou said that many young men are evading their national service due to a loophole in the law.
Commenting on new reports that many have not even shown up for community service, as prescribed by the new law, Omirou said that “there are no satisfactory sanctions to ensure discipline and respect of the law.”
He added that the Ministry of Defence had promised to table a revision to the law or a completely new bill by the end of 2009 and pledged that the House Defence Committee will work on any new bill to make sure it is productive and will achieve the aim to reduce evasion from military service.
Parents of men serving in the National Guard have often complained that others with connections or who can afford to, often secure fake documentation from private sector psychiatrists that claim that recruits are unfit for duty. As a result, conscripts are obliged to do double shifts and guard duty to cover the needs of patrolling and guarding the demarcation line.